[Devoted or Unbroken?]

Yes, trickster/unbroken with Guardian Stance and equipped with One Dozen Stood, Magran's Blessing (with modal), Magran's Favor (with modal) can be very effective. The modal of a medium shield ensures at least 30% misses vs any enemy, your ripostes/disengagement attacks will be full attacks and the damage shield hits get all the rogue bonuses. Another nice one is forbidden fist/trickster who can spam FF while getting free ripostes, disengagement attacks, damage shield hits which can trigger further flurry/heartbeat drumming attacks (however you need Champion's Boon/Tactical meld if you want to deal with multiple targets).

Devoted works best with monk for a crit build triggering many cleaving/flurry attacks (with fists as a very strong back up weapon). Later you can add the Left Hand of the Obscured for free disengagement attacks too. Fair Favor + Scordeo's Edge + Grave Calling / Tarn's Respite / St. Drogga's Skull / Aldris Blade of Captain Crow are all great combos.

[A gunslinger MC]

On 5/13/2022 at 5:00 AM, LeoAugustina said:

Hello i'm here again. Finished with Rogue/Ranger, that was cool but I miss my cipher. Is there a caster build using bow/guns to increase concentration and spending it with many spells? I've heard something about Cipher/Ranger with coldbow and ascendant.

Yes, ascendant/ghostheart or ascendant/arcane archer with Frostseeker are both very fun and strong combos. Very effective to use either as archer/cipher, dpending on what you need.

[[MECHANICS] Various Testing]

2 hours ago, NotDumbEnough said:

Does anyone know the recovery penalty for moving while in recovery? Rangers get Shot on the Run but I'm not sure how it compares with simply standing still while recovering.

 

I'm also not 100% sure if reloading progress is saved if you stop it and do something else. i.e. if you spend 3 seconds out of a 5 second reload actually reloading, then stop and cast a spell, do you now need to start over and reload for 5 seconds or just 2 seconds?

Picking Shot on the run in Deadfire makes a huge difference if you move between shots. However I doubt it affects reloading (that's why we have Gunner) - for me reloading works only if you stand still.

[Build Principles for Soul Blades]

Soul Annihilation is one of the best damage abilities in the game for multiple reasons:

• has huge single target damage potential
• can be spammed
• targets deflection (the lowest defense and the easiest to debuff)
• does raw damage
• interrupts on crits
• it's a PL1 ability (gets a big dmg bonus from PL at high levels)

From the way its damage scales it's obvious the rogues are the most suited for a MC soul blade. The streetfighter has the best dps potential but, without a priest with BB/SoT, it's difficult to play one. 

Besides dmg bonuses and speed the third way to increase the dps of a SB is by generating free focus. The trickster, besides better survivability, can trigger more easily ripostes and also disengagement attacks (when using Ryngrim's Repulsive Visage).

Regarding the weapons there are many interesting options:

• Voidwheel - the champ of single target damage (best suited for a streetfighter under BDD)
• Whispers of the Endless Paths -  the champ of AoE damage (having high deflection ensures also some free focus from Offensive Parry)
• Sun and Moon - the second head replenishes focus allowing continuous use of SA (can be used with a bashing shield for increased defense, speed and focus - Tuotilo's Palm can generate more Focus with Outward Spikes, Magran's Blessing can generate focus with the Fire Shield)
• Grave Calling - the damage from Chillfog proc generates focus too
• Chromoprismatic Quarterstaff - next best thing after Voidwheel and best dps option if you don't have BDD
• Engoliero do Espirs - the AoE proc is great (triggers often, generates focus and heals)

[Wildrhymer gunmaster]

Maia is better as a scout using the Red Hand.

If you want to use Blightheart for your MC I would bind it to chanter instead because the ability of the ranger is pretty meh. However I would use Dragon's Dowry instead because it does better damage and coupled with the Ring of Focused Flame you have free +10acc. (However Maia will still out DPS you by a large margin)

[Brawler/Melee Build advices needed here :)]

9 hours ago, Lonlon said:

So I decided to go for Devoted/Berserker, currently level 12 and I have to admit this is sweet so far. I'm really pleased with the AoE and debuffing capabilities of the build.

For my party composition I went with :
Eder : Swashbuckler Engagement Tank
Xoti : Defensive Support/Healer SC Priest
Aloth : SC Wizard (CC/Nuker)
and Custom Character : Kindwayfarer/Troubadour Offensive Support + also strong Healer.

I definetly think Xoti is the flex spot here, I could replace her with someone else but for now, Triumph of the Crusader and BDD seem too strong and synergise a lot with my build. In most cases, once my main char secures his first kill, he becomes unstopable, and those spells help a lot with that strategy.

For my devoted/berserker, I was wondering what gear I should pick :

Helm : Helm of the Falcon
Neck : Precognition (?) (Also help securing a first kill) (or maybe Bone Setter's Torc later..)
Armor : Devil of Caroc (I think it's a no brainer here.. immunity to confusion, more ressources for both classes..)
Ring 1 : Chameleon's Touch (?)
Ring 2 : Voidward or Ring of Greater Regeneration maybe (for now, self damage it's not that big of deal)
Feets : Footprints of Ahu Taka (?) (i'm not sure, maybe it's better for my healers)
Cape : Two Stiched Trolls (?) nothing else comes to my mind
Gloves : Boltcatchers (?) (fit the theme  )
Belt : No idea here, for now I use Ngati's girdle
Weapon : Lord Darry's Voulge obviously

What do you guys think ?

Also for my KWF/Troubadour, I have no idea what gear I should use. Should she be melee ? For now I use double scepters to keep her safe from my main character, and dual wielding makes the healing from light flames proc twice, which is super strong...
Any suggestions here ?

Thanks again everyone, really enjoy this run so far  
 

For the neck:

• Bone Setter's Torc - if you feel you need more (self)healing
• Claim and Refusal - if you're comfortable with your health and want more damage
• Strand of Favor - helps the duration of your buffs (especially Unbending Trunk later)
• Charm of Bones - helps with duration/radius

 

For the feet:

• Footprints of Ahu Taka - +2dex and more (self)healing is always good
• Rakhan Field Boots - are always nice (however they could be more useful for Eder for easy backstabs at the begining of the fights)
• Boots of the Stone - +1dex and resistance to might afflictions
• Boots of the White - resistance to dex afflictions

For belts:

• Belt of Magran's Chosen/Sash of Judgment - for more damage
• The Undying Burden - more health/fortitude are good and the insta heal for emergencies (but not very useful for a no rest run)
• The Maker's Own Power - +1might/+1 crush AR is always good to have and the death healing works as a safety net (but not very useful for a no rest run)
• Girdle of Eoten Constitution - more health/fortitude

For rings I would consider Voidward and Ring of Greater Regeneration/Ring of Prosperity's Fortune/Ring of Clenched Muscle. 

The KWF/troubadour is best played as a melee tank/support (Exalted Endurance + Ancient Memory + Aefyllath.../Old Siec...) and my optimal equipment for that would be: Magnera's Chain, Lethandria's Devotion, Sasha's Singing Scimitar, Blackened Plate Helm/Champion's Helm, Charm of Bones, Hylea's Talons, Chameleon's Touch, Ring of Minor Protection, Cloak of Greater Deflection, Boots of the Stone, Belt of Magran's Chosen. If you want to stand in the back you can replace your items with Dragon's Dowry + Ring of the Marksman + Ring of Focused Flame + Acina's Tricorn and use Sure-Handed Ila chant for steady ranged dps.

[[CLASS BUILD] The Automated Evergreen Juggernaut a.k.a. Unbroken Fist - Solo Upscaled PotD with BPM]

On 5/4/2022 at 5:26 AM, NotDumbEnough said:

Paladins lack concentration unlike the fighter who has lots of it. They would likely get interrupted to death without any real chance to fight back especially with heavy armor. This is a problem I met often with my SC Devoted and a different SC Furyshaper playthrough. Even if you can single-handedly outfight the enemies with sheer damage, armor, health and regen, etc. you can often get interrupted to death.

I never had such a problem. You can't be interrupted if you don't get hit and a FF/steel garrote has one of the highest passive defenses in the game (behind a helwalker/paladin). Also there's no doubt in my mind that a votary is more durable because better armor, defense and passive healing (arguably the best) with no weakness against Arcane Dampener/Cleanse. The fighter has probably better dps due to the higher attack speed, but not by a large margin considering the dmg buff of the paladin.

[Brawler/Melee Build advices needed here :)]

1 hour ago, Lonlon said:

Also I'm now wondering how I should build this regarding attributes, do I need high INT and high MIG as a devoted/berserker ?

The conservative approach is to dump completely resolve, keep constitution and dex at 10 and spread the rest of points between might, intellect and perception. A more aggressive approach (especially if you play with +2 all stats from Berath and stack resting bonuses) is to dump also constitution and pick later Tough ability.

[Brawler/Melee Build advices needed here :)]

6 hours ago, Lonlon said:

Do you bind Lord Darryn's Voulge with Barb or Fighter with this build ? (Barb = AoE disoriented effet, Fighter = Random Storm spell 1/encounter when going under 50% HP)

Bind it to the barb without any hesitation - Disoriented means -10deflection, -1AR, -5per, +50% recovery which helps the entire party, not just you. Pick also Spirit Frenzy for more AoE debuffs.

Lord Darryn's Voulge is a great weapon overall with just one drawback - it can't be enchanted over superb. However the berserker/devoted bonuses to penetration, the disoriented debuff and the dual damage ensure you will never ever need to switch weapons.

Now the good things:

• LDD can be obtained basically as soon as you leave Port Maje
• the static charges are applied with every hit (carnage included) and are triggered on crit (which you will do very often) - that's basically like +10shock AoE damage on top of your carnage
• the Bolting Strikes proc is great - it triggers very easily and gives you +15% spd (stacks with all your spd buffs) and +15% shock dmg
• the shock damage and the fact you will crit a lot will help you overpenetrate very often

The berserker/devoted is a crit build (crit bonus from Frenzy and from Disciplined Strikes stack) and it's a good thing to use items with procs triggering on crits (like Boltcatchers, Left Hand of the Obscured, etc). 

PS. The berserker has a pretty harsh self damage - especially at higher levels. To make things go smoothly there are a few key items which can help you completely negate the self damage (coupled with the Rapid Recovery of the fighter) - Devil of Caroc's Breatplate (removes confusion and regenerates health on crits), Three Trolls Stiched, Voidward, Ring of Greater Regeneration, Bone Setter's Torc/Footprints of Ahu Taka... Also a nice and easy helmet to get for this build is the Helm of the Falcon.

[Brawler/Melee Build advices needed here :)]

The trickster has access to Ryngrim's Repulsive Visage which is great because enemies affected by it stop attacking or run away (triggering potential disengagement attacks). You have also other defensive spells to help your survivability.

You can also try fighter/rogue, but you already have Eder. The rogue is pretty much mandatory if you want great single target damage.

If you want more AoE damage you can also try the classical berserker/devoted with Lord Darryn's Voulge - great AoE dps and solid single target dps. This build gives you Cleave, lots of crits and also Clear Out which works a bit like Heart of Fury.

[Help building a character for PotD]

19 hours ago, coredumped said:

How so? Looking at the ability tree it looks I would be mostly benefiting from Lightning strikes and the wounds passive. I don't see anything to increase accuracy.

Dance of Death adds +3acc every 3s for a max of +12acc.

[Brawler/Melee Build advices needed here :)]

Here are a some speedy dps builds:

• trickster/monk using Scordeo's Edge+Grave Calling+Fair Favor -> crit build with lots of free attacks from flurry -> high chance of Blade Cascade with long duration
• trickster/barbarian using Modwyr+Watcher's Blade -> reliable high speed + AoE dmg + free attacks from disengagement (use Barbaric Shout to increase the number of targets engaged and Ryngrim's Repulsive Visage)

Devil of Caroc's breastplate and Abraham pet can help your survivability while keeping your attack speed high. The rogue ensures high steady dps even if you crit less often or when you fight single targets.

[Help building a character for PotD]

For a rogue using fire arms as main attack I consider the troubadour to be the best choice as second class. You can have all the time Sure-Handed Ila... (for increased attack speed) and Aefyllath... (for increased damage), while buffing yourself with Their Companion... (for increased penetration and interrupts). You have also at your disposal other chants for self healing, draining, removing afflictions, etc... The next option would be the monk - less speed, but more accuracy. The third would be the ranger for his increased speed, accuracy and Driving Flight. In fourth I would place the barbarian for his great speed bonuses, might inspiration (which can be upgraded later) and the ability to stagger on hit (with Spirit Frenzy) for easy sneak attacks.

[Your philosophy of solo play]

10 hours ago, mjo2138 said:

Hello Everyone,

 

I am back to the world of Eora, after playing doing a POTD solo run as a Swashbuckler. I really appreciate the singular experience of solo play; it lets you study the game mechanics very carefully, and you really learn the class(es) that you play very well.  Now, I am level 13 as a SC Bloodmage, following the guide of @NotSoCleverHound , as well as Lost Sinner (Sin Tee)

What I want to ask if, how do you level up, and how much powerplay you incorporate in your gameplay. For example I usually do this. 

 

1. After Port Maje, due to my perfectionist nature, I usually end up sailing around the world to accumulate experience , and then I loot, buy, or steal core items for the build, along with the 'usual stops' such as Crookspur Island for Legendary items. 

2. Rush core item builds afterwards, and play the game in a more 'traditional' way

a. Do you think it is worth it to skip early and midgame so much? I feel like I miss out. But at the same time, I think solo builds rely on getting to high level quickly, so you can take on encounters

 

b. How many encounters to you tend to skip before 'powerleveling'?  and do c. do you do all the questions in the game, or only ones that benefit you? 

 

3. this is unrelated, but don't you think the rewards system should be different for quests? For example, I will end up metagaming and choosing the best result to get the best gear. For example, I always kill Beneweth (pirate guy) for his Miscreat Leather armor. It makes me wonder, however, if quests should have a different reward system stops you from choosing based on Gear Alone. Like , if you roleplay your character, it should take precedence over the material rewards.  It would be fun to complete quests as per your 'roleplay' and character, rather than just to get the 'best gear'. I think the light/dark point system in Knights of the Old Republic (Bioware, Single Player) had a good idea. I am interested what you all think about this.

Thanks in advanced! 

 

 

Personally I like to build characters strong enough to do every quest and play without skipping anything. I try to obtain core items first, but at the same time I follow the normal path. I don't feel the need to PL because I try to do the quests in the order of their difficulty and I gain xp fast enough, while also keeping fights challenging.

[Death Guard Fanatic problem]

If the enemies are not scaled up in your game you should be able to destroy him with two shots from the Red Hand (enchanted with Double-Tap).

["Mobile" melee builds]

The best mobility abilities are Escape (rogue) and Evasive Roll (ranger) - both have minimal cost and have no recovery. Leap, Charge and Flagellant's Path are IMO too costly for what they do.  However you can simply do a very speedy character immune to engagement. A monk/rogue can stack Fast Runner and Long Stride while also adding Boots of Speed and Ruata's Walking Cloak. Then you give him Nomad's Brigandine (enchanted with Tactical Withdraw) and he can move freely on the field while also triggering some free Ripostes (not sure if Hearbeat Drumming/Swift Flurry works from Riposte).

[Best melee caster's slayer - need some advice.]

2 hours ago, NotDumbEnough said:

There's a pet that gives you resolve resistance and is quite good. I've never seen the point of having a Wild Orlan watcher.

Agree, there's also a helmet (without counting the Cap of the Laughing Stock), a chant, foods, potion. Also resolve afflictions are a problem mostly vs some bosses with auras.

[Best melee caster's slayer - need some advice.]

IMO the best mage slayer is a ranger/monk using Frostseeker. You can spam Stunning Surge and later you can upgrade Thunderous Blows to Energized and interrupt with every crit. The fact that you hit 3-6 times chews easily through any concentration if the enemies are resistant/immune to might afflictions.

[Next run planning (Vailian)]

Personally, with Pallegina and Eder (with Fair Favor ) as frontliners, I would play a ghost heart/ascendant or an arcane archer/ascendant with Frostseeker. I would also pick Aloth for more AoE nukes. For the last spot Ydwin cipher/rogue with firearms could work, but I consider her just average. You could also pick Konstanten as a support/debuffer (with LDV, Spirit Frenzy and The Long Night's Drink...), but in fact anything works at this point.

[Assembling party for "path of the dammed" difficalty.]

A well built darcozzi/troubadour is basically immortal and can also rez fallen companions if needed. I would add to your party a forbidden fist monk who is also nearly immortal and by the end can beat any encounter by himself. An ascendant/ghostheart with Frostseeker is also great and can clear the field very fast with his bow/spells and later can provide Brilliant to the entire party. An assassin/bloodmage is also very powerful and once he obtains the invisibility spell can also solve encounter by himself. A devoted/trickster with sabres is a very solid damage dealer and can trigger disengagement attacks with Ryngrim's Repulsive Visage. Another alternative is a soulblade/trickster who can deal high single target dps with Sun and Moon + Tuotilo's Palm and also great AoE damage from the back of your tanks with Whispers of the Endless Paths (and he can also buff your other cipher).

Anyway all these characters, if well built, don't require end game items to be strong and can roll over most encounters just on AI. The only one who requires more micro is the bloodmage/assassin.

[How to build a Forbidden Fist Transcendent]

1 hour ago, Jrllo said:

I never really know what to think about the Assassin subclass. Thematically it's awesome, but most of the time I see it used either as a means of facilitating uber alpha strikes from range (with classes like paladins), or as a means of boosting some spell damage - I've seen a good few comments on the interactions between Assassins + Evoker spells.

There are obvious challenges with building one for melee... but I'm curious to learn more about your particular Spellblade setup @Kaylon. Is it largely to do with boosting spell damage, or is it more a case of 'buff rogue into oblivion and avoid getting hit altogether'?

The blood mage has unlimited access to invisibility and spells and all that combined with assassin's bonuses (acc, pen and crit dmg) allows you to be a very powerful caster, like @Boeroer explained. However you can't spam spells without serious healing and for that you have to mix draining spells or use draining weapons.

The melee part is self sustainable much more easily. You summon a draining weapon, attack from invisibility and finish your target before the other enemies can react which will replenish your lost health at the same time, then become invisible again, recover your spells, etc.

You can switch easily between the two modes without any drawback and have a purely offensive build. However, until you obtain Arkhemir's Brilliant Departure you have to use a more conservative way of playing. Use wizard's buffs to increase your survivability and go melee and when you draw the aggro use Smoke Veil to escape and launch a few spells, etc...

[Coming from POE 1, need party composition advice.]

The cipher has many buffs that can make his pet pretty effective and les squishy, but of course not enough to replace a tank.

[Coming from POE 1, need party composition advice.]

If you want to play ascendant  then arcane archer is the best option. Grab Essence Interrupter (with modal activated) and Frostseeker vs multiple targets and forget about firearms - focus will fill very fast.

Xoti is better with mortars spamming Stunning Surge until she gets WotW and destroys everything.

Maia scout with the Red Hand is probably the companion with the highest single dps and has the best ranger pet. There's no better companion tank than Pallegina herald and her support is huge. Tekehu has some unique spells with great utility both as druid and chanter. However you can keep only one of them if you decide to pick a faction at the end. (and without faction the ending sucks)

You need 2 tanks in the party to be safe and Xoti is not a tank. If the MC is not a tank I would say Pallegina and Eder are almost mandatory. Xoti monk can be later a very strong dps/CC.  You can use the last spot to switch companions/sidekicks. If you want to keep Tekehu you can replace Pallegina with Aloth fighter/mage.

The strongest end game party (with companions) you can build would include Eder (fighter/thief), Pallegina (paladin/chanter), Xoti (monk) and Aloth (fighter/mage).

[How to build a Forbidden Fist Transcendent]

1 hour ago, Jrllo said:

The WotEP idea has piqued my interest at points in the past too, @Kaylon.  Curious to hear whether you feel a monk or rogue would be the most fun to use it with (very subjective, obviously)!

I certainly need to settle my mind on either a rogue or monk at some point. Everything on paper says ‘monk’, but for whatever reason I always seem to wind up bringing a rogue back into the discussion at some point…

The monk is very dependent on crits for his dps and is more sturdy (especially the FF). The rogue delivers high dps against all enemies, but is a little more squishy (however the trickster has a few tools to increase his survivability). Both are good, but the monk helps more the caster part of the cipher (speed, might, penetration, intellect). If you want to use lighter armor then a solution is to use 2h weapons with increased range and stay behind your tanks.

Another strong melee/caster combo is assassin/blood mage, but it's a different style of play.

 

[How to build a Forbidden Fist Transcendent]

Another weapon that works well with a monk/soulblade is WotEP. You can alternate easily between Stunning Surge and Soul Annihilation. With your high accuracy and deflection debuffs (Cap of the Laughingstock, Phantom Foes) you can easily crit and trigger other AoE attacks with Swift Flurry/Heartbeat Drumming.